Their Language and Concepts Were So Foreign to Our Way of Thinking We Dare Not Attempt to Translate.
That is what the headline should have read for the Washington Post's coverage of the DC Tea Party.
The WaPo seemed at a such a complete loss of understanding of what was happening and how these people could think this way that it seemed as if it was as foreign to them as, well, as MEAN HATEFUL scary aliens (NTGK - not the good kind) who had landed right there on the Mall! Ideas so foreign to them that they dare not interpret choosing rather to just listed the thoughts for all to see.
Wonder how that compares to other recent protest marches?
So did I so I checked back to see how they covered the anti war protest of 2002 and 2005. Here is what I found (all emphasis mine).
Headlines:
Tea Party
Lashing Out at the Capitol2005
Tens of Thousands Protest Obama Initiatives and Government Spending
Antiwar Fervor Fills the Streets2002
Demonstration Is Largest in Capital Since U.S. Military Invaded Iraq
100,000 Rally, March Against War in Iraq
The scary aliens (NTGK) lashed out and protested OBAMA while the others let their fervor fill the street, they didn't protest Bush mind you, no...
First paragraph:
Tea Party
Tens of thousands of conservative protesters, many complaining that the nation is racing toward socialism, massed outside the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, angrily denouncing President Obama's health-care plan and other initiatives as threats to the Constitution.2005
Tens of thousands of people packed downtown Washington yesterday and marched past the White House in the largest show of antiwar sentiment in the nation's capital since the conflict in Iraq began.2002
Tens of thousands of people marched in peaceful protest of any military strike against Iraq yesterday afternoon, in an antiwar demonstration that organizers and police suggested was likely Washington's largest since the Vietnam era.
Hmm, strange that isn't it -- scary aliens (NTGK) were angry and they were protesters who massed in the city center! Run, see if you can get out of the city before they attack! There were threats, or they saw threats or something like that. Pray all we get some of the peaceful people to help save us! But remember they were complaining, they complained for God's sake.
Second Paragraph:
Tea Party
The crowd -- loud, animated and sprawling -- gathered at the West Front of the Capitol after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Freedom Plaza. Invocations of God and former president Ronald Reagan by an array of speakers drew loud cheers that echoed across the Mall. On a windy, overcast afternoon, hundreds of yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags flapped in the breeze.2005
The demonstration drew grandmothers in wheelchairs and babies in strollers, military veterans in fatigues and protest veterans in tie-dye. It was the first time in a decade that protest groups had a permit to march in front of the executive mansion, and, even though President Bush was not there, the setting seemed to electrify the crowd.2002
Organizers with International ANSWER, a coalition of antiwar groups that coordinated the demonstration, had hoped for a turnout rivaling that of its pro-Palestine rally in April that officials estimated at about 75,000. Organizers said they easily eclipsed that figure yesterday, assessing attendance at well more than 100,000. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey also said he figured yesterday's rally turnout exceeded that in April, but he didn't provide a specific number.
You've got to be kidding me, right? -- Grandmothers, wheelchairs, and everything -- the scary aliens (NTGK) are loud and animated are clearly threatening grandmothers with vaporization from a primitive leader and their GOD (if Obama doesn't get them first). If only an electrified crowd could channel that power and save the babies!
Third Paragraph
Tea Party
"Hell hath no fury like a taxpayer ignored," declared Andrew Moylan, head of government affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, urging protesters to call their representatives. The demonstrators roared their approval.2005
Signs, T-shirts, slogans and speeches outlined the cost of the Iraq conflict in human as well as economic terms. They memorialized dead U.S. troops and Iraqis, and contrasted the price of war with the price of recovery for areas battered by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Riffs on Vietnam-era protests were plentiful, with messages declaring, "Make Levees, Not War," "I never thought I'd miss Nixon" and "Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam." Many in the crowd had protested in the 1960s; others weren't even born during those tumultuous years.2002
"We think this was just extremely, extremely successful," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a D.C. organizer with International ANSWER, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. "It absolutely shows that when George Bush says America speaks with one voice, and it's his voice, he's wrong."
Mommy, the scary aliens (NTGK) roared, they roared I tell you! Antiwar protests were nothing but impressive! Hey, wait, they mentioned they were against Bush, huh!
You get the point.
A few more statistics:
Number of signs quoted:
Tea party -- 9
2005 -- 0 (mentions of Bush signs and one sign with the picture of a mothers son who was in Iraq)
Chanting/shouting:
Tea Party -- "We Own the Dome!"
2005 -- "Shame on you, Shame on you!" (a counter protester shouted)
"Peaceful"
Tea Party --0 (none)
2005 -- 1
"Angrily" or Angry
Tea Party -- 1
2005 -- 0
"Grandmother" and"Babies"
Tea Party -- 0
2005 -- One of each
Crowd estimate:
Tea Party -- No "official" estimate given
2005 -- 300,000 the organizers claim
Reason for protest:
Tea Party --
The demonstrators are part of a loose-knit movement that is galvanizing anti-Obama sentiment across the country, stoking a populist dimension to the Republican Party, which has struggled to find its voice since the 2008 elections.2005 --
(T)he events were sponsored by groups including the ANSWER Coalition and United for Peace and Justice and focused on a succinct theme: "End the War in Iraq and Bring the Troops Home Now."
Interesting:
Tea Party -- "(H)e watches Fox News host Glenn Beck "all the time" and wanted to be part of an event that he thinks will be historic. Beck had drummed up support for the march."
2005 -- "The protest groups helped organize caravans and carpools, and many participants began arriving early in the morning after bumpy, all-night bus rides."BEEEECCCCCKKKKK!
Yea, I'm a bit over critical perhaps, but 8 years of coded Bush hate in the press and 2 years of blatant Obama love in the same press will do that.
Hey WaPo, how are that Acorn and vetting of the Czars story going?
DKK
Please forgive the grammar and if this reads choppy -- my meds have failed in clearing the cognitive issues lately.
